September 14, 2007

JPJ: Screening under eKesihatan to go as planned

Star: PUTRAJAYA: More private clinics can be appointed to conduct tests on commercial vehicle drivers under the eKesihatan programme, said Road Transport Department (JPJ) deputy director-general Solah Mat Hassan.
“As long as the clinics comply with the legal requirements and have computers with Internet facilities they can be an eKesihatan panel clinic by paying a lifetime registration fee of RM100,” he said.
Solah said Supremme Systems was one of four companies shortlisted by the Transport Ministry to be a systems provider for the Government’s eKesihatan initiative.
“This is how we have implemented all our other initiatives like eKhidmat; eInsuran and ehakmilik,” he said.
The routine screening of commercial vehicle drivers and conductors via eKesihatan clinics will go on as scheduled from Oct 1 despite strong objections from doctors.
Solah said that the main objective of introducing the eKesihatan was to enable JPJ to retrieve medical records of all 700,000 commercial vehicle drivers and conductors via a secure online database system maintained by Supremme Systems.
Meanwhile, Primary Care Doctors Organisation Malaysia (PCDOM) president Dr Molly Cheah said her organisation had earlier offered JPJ a similar online programme at no cost before Supremme Systems was appointed.
“So why are we having a third party? On what basis did JPJ pick Supremme Systems?
“Why should private clinics be registered with Supremme Systems? Our members are extremely upset with the Government for appointing a third party without even consulting the doctors’ groups,” said Dr Cheah.
On Wednesday, the MMA questioned the selection of Supremme Systems as the gateway provider, and called on its members not to accept the appointment as panel clinics for the eKesihatan programme until further discussions with the JPJ.